The Ancient Forest Friendly™ designation and logo from Canopy represents the highest ecological qualities in the paper industry. Ancient Forest Friendly pulp and paper is free of ancient or endangered forest fiber, made with 100% recycled or straw paper, and is whitened without chlorine.
To be Ancient Forest Friendly, a paper must be manufactured with a high percentage of recycled fiber or agricultural residue. Any virgin fiber used in the paper must be Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified (with no ‘controlled wood’) and must not originate from endangered forests. Bleaching must be chlorine free. Ancient Forest Friendly papers conserve intact forest ecosystems and their functions – such as climate stabilization, water regulation and species habitat.
There is a significant body of scientific work that details the ecological benefits of utilizing recycled fibre in lieu of virgin wood fibre, including:
- Conserving water and energy
- Reducing greenhouse gases and volatile compounds
- Preventing the degradation of forest ecosystems; and
- Preventing the loss of forest-dependent biodiversity.
Further, the commercial use of straw paper is an emerging field in North America. Studies( confirm that agricultural residues have significantly lighter ecological footprints than using virgin wood fibre pulps [1][2].
Why develop an Ancient Forest Friendly paper policy?
Ancient Forest Friendly paper procurement policies support companies to safeguard ancient and endangered forests, their biodiversity and ecosystems. These policies also help stimulate the development of leading ecopapers and a sustainable supply chain.
By choosing Ancient Forest Friendly papers, companies can help reduce their carbon footprint as Ancient Forest Friendly papers offer an alternative to papers made with fibre from high carbon value virgin forests.
Having a policy and using Ancient Forest Friendly papers allows your company to use the Ancient Forest Friendly designation. Companies leverage the Ancient Forest Friendly logo to publically promote their sustainability commitments and highlight quality ecopapers products.
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Learn more about the science behind the Ancient Forest Friendly brand.
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Footnotes
1. Kissinger et al., Wood and non-wood pulp production: Comparative ecological Footprinting on the Canadian prairies, Ecological Economics (2006), doi: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2006.07.019
2. Georgia Institute of Technology, Prepared for Kimberly-Clark Corporation: Assessment of Alternative Fibers for Pulp Production, February 2013.
